


For All It's Worth

by wyvern



Series: Summer Pornathon 2015 [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Betrayal, Corporate Espionage, Established Relationship, M/M, Sexual Violence, Strangulation, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 17:23:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4530606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvern/pseuds/wyvern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Common betrayal usually has quite dire consequences. Double-crossing the Pendragons has worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For All It's Worth

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for Summer Pornathon's Challenge One: Cross. ( _Please_ read the warnings.)
> 
> Big thanks to my long-suffering beta J, who saves me from grammar errors and awkward phrasing every single week. The fic has not been brit-picked, however. All remaining errors are my own.
> 
> Merlin and its characters belong to Shine, BBC, history and whatever else. It's not me, anyway.
> 
> Spoilery notes in End notes.

*

Arthur is balls-deep in Merlin’s arse when his hands tighten on Merlin’s throat, making him gasp for air.

*

Merlin walks quickly out of the main server room into the corridor, hoping no one will see him on the way back to his office two floors down. The entire server floor is off-limits to everyone except the inner circle of staff, and Merlin is definitely not one of them. He’s wouldn’t even be here if Arthur hadn’t recommended him for the job. He nervously fingers the memory stick in his pocket.

Thinking he’s less likely to run into anyone there, he turns into the stairwell only to run straight into Uther’s personal assistant George. George, the most correct and disturbingly honest person Merlin’s ever met. Fuck.

The game is up. He shouldn't be here and they both know it. He pushes past a gaping George and runs.

*

The suitcase on the floor in front of him is still almost empty, the only things in it are a few old t-shirts. He knows he should fill it with all the things he can’t live without – laptop, books, photos, clothes – but even just thinking of leaving feels a little bit like trying to slowly pull your heart out of your chest.

Merlin sits down on the bed and, with a sigh, pushes the suitcase away with his foot and buries his face in his hands. A bit of distance from all of this would be nice.

*

“Merlin?”

Arthur’s voice is a bit huskier than normal, and Merlin gets up from the bed to greet him. He’s afraid of what he’ll see in Arthur’s face, so he keeps his eyes firmly locked on that safe, broad chest instead.

“Merlin!” Arthur reaches out and draws Merlin in. With a gentle finger, he forces Merlin’s chin up so he can see his face. “Love, what have you been up to today?”

“I...” Merlin hesitates. He should tell Arthur the truth and give him a chance to forgive him, but he’s afraid of what will happen. “I, er, nothing much, really. Left work early, wasn’t feeling well.”

Arthur watches him closely, as if he can tell Merlin’s lying. With a bit of an effort, Merlin grins and pulls Arthur into a tight hug. “It was just a rough day. Tomorrow will be better.”

Leaning in close, Arthur softly kisses his neck. “Dad’s a dick to you, eh? Can’t say I didn’t warn you. If I had stayed your boss, I would’ve kept you safe.”

It might be his imagination, but Merlin thinks Arthur sounds a bit sad at that.

*

When Arthur pins him against the wall, pulls down his trousers, and harshly jerks him off, Merlin cries when he comes. Whispering comforting words into his ear, Arthur wipes the tears away with his thumb and presses a lingering kiss to Merlin’s lips.

“Can I fuck you?” he asks, quietly, straight into Merlin’s ear.

Merlin meets his eyes then. “I don’t know, _can_ you?”

The smile he gets in return doesn't quite reach Arthur's eyes.

*

Merlin’s trying to pry Arthur’s hands off his throat, but he’s too strong and keeps them firmly in place, increasing the pressure. With a small gurgling sound, Merlin looks up at him and sees tears streaming down his face. They drip onto his chest, but Merlin can’t feel anything but the pressure on his throat. Arthur’s moving his hips minutely, like he can’t help taking pleasure in Merlin even as he’s wringing the life out of him at the same time.

“I love you. I love you, Merlin, but he’ll kill me if I don’t get rid of you, and I can’t–”

There are white dots invading Merlin’s vision, and he starts to panic properly because he can’t breathe and he can’t believe Arthur is doing this and he doesn’t want to die, he doesn’t, he doesn’t–

He tries to fight Arthur off, but he’s too weak compared to Arthur. He keeps fighting anyway, because what else can he do?

“Love, you should have told me. You should have trusted me, but you didn’t and look what you forced me to do. God, I would never... you forced me to do it. I can’t go against Dad, he’s so angry with me, it's your or me and I can't, I can't...”

Merlin claws at Arthur’s hands and reaches for his face, scratching anything within reach, anything to get free, but he can feel his arms burning with the effort and knows it’s over. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to see, as blackness is overwhelming him.

_“Merlin. Merlin, why?”_

*

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> If you're of a happy disposition, you can also interpret this fic as Merlin just losing consciousness, and will wake up somewhere else, happy and healthy. Just saying.


End file.
